The potential health consequences of being overweight are perhaps the biggest cause for alarm. These health issues are well-documented and include illnesses such as diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, cancer and hypertension (high blood pressure). Daily life is also made more difficult in that overweight people are generally more fatigued and prone to depressive symptoms.

For many people, keeping their weight at a healthy level is a challenge. There are a number of different reasons for this: unfavorable genetics, proliferation of processed food, poor exercise habits, and detachment from healthy eating practices among them.

That said, there are ways to help shed some unwanted poundage some of them quite simple. Here are 25 ways to make losing weight a bit easier:

1. Eat at home more frequently : No medical degree is necessary to understand that fast food is detrimental to weight loss. Make the decision to eat and home and prepare accordingly.

2. Watch one hour less of TV : Television is a stationary activity; stationary equals inactivity; inactivity breeds weight gain. Omit one hour of TV and go for a walk instead.

3. More water and less soda : Soda and energy drinks are saturated with sugar, which is very counterproductive in losing weight. Drinking water eliminates toxins and speeds metabolism.

4. Plan out and write down meals each week : “Failing to plan is planning to fail” when it comes to losing weight. Impulse eating is never a healthy choice, especially when trying to drop pounds.

5. Evaluate emotions before digging in : Eating when nervous, depressed, frustrated or bored is a real thing. Food provides a temporary comfort that leaves behind only regret…and weight gain.

6. Walk up and down stairs for 10 minutes : 10 minutes a day walking up and down stairs can shed as much as 10 pounds a year. Leave the elevators to the lazy ones, Rocky.

7. Resist the urge to eat fast : When the stomach is full, it takes 20 minutes to signal this to the brain. Eating slowly and deliberately makes it easier to recognize when fullness kicks in.

8. Close the kitchen after dinner : Closed, as in no food is available after dinnertime. Late-night snacking is an easy way to rack up calories and gain undesirable weight.

9. Recycle clothes that don’t fit : This is more of a motivational tool. When our “fat clothes” become too tight, make it a priority to give them away.

10. Walk 45 minutes a day : About that one hour of TV that was eliminated? Well, here’s a healthy and fulfilling alternative 45 minutes of brisk walking each day is conducive to weight loss.

11. Make the traditional “night out” an active one : Instead of heading to a bar or restaurant, recharge by doing something active. Doesn’t mean it can’t be fun – check out tennis, racquetball, hiking, biking or walking the park.

12. Get a pedometer : Pedometers are those neat little gadgets that monitor the number of paces walked. On average, people take 2,000 to 3,000 steps per day. Adding another 2,000 is beneficial for a healthy weight.

13. Set the table conservatively : Unsurprisingly, the more food we place on the table, the more we eat. Serve food mindfully and resist placing too much on each plate.

14. Order the smaller portions : When eating out, opt for the smaller portions. Again, we eat less food when there’s less available.

15. Load the plate up with vegetables : Vegetables are a great source of fiber – an important nutrient for feeling satiated. Split peas, black beans, lima beans, peas and broccoli are among the highest in fiber content.

16. Lay off white foods : While low-carb diets have a tendency to go overboard, one of their basic tenets is true: white flour can cause weight gain. Opt for whole-grain bread and rice instead.

17. Eat a healthy cereal for breakfast : Five times a week, make cereal the breakfast food of choice. Different studies have shown that eating cereal at this proportion can help maintain a healthy weight.

18. Substitute loaded coffee for regular : Black coffee may not taste the best…actually its putrid. Lay off the fancy (sugar-laded) concoction and add some artificial sweetener and/or milk.

19. Snack on nuts : Nuts are very healthy, especially when compared to cookies, cakes, etc. Nuts such as almonds contain healthy fats and fiber, which wards off hunger and stokes the metabolism.

20. Downgrade milk type : Many of us love milk, but it actually contains a good amount of calories. Actually, dropping down (2% to 1%, for example) can cut calories by as much as 20%.

21. Eat the majority of calories before noon : This really is simple, yet profound. Eating earlier in the day

(a) decreases the likelihood of night time indulgence and

(b) makes it easier to burn off calories during the day.

22. Brush teeth after each meal : Perhaps a tip for the hardcore, brushing after every meal signals to the body that mealtime is over.

23. Embrace the hot sauce : Hot sauce not only covers up that burnt meatloaf taste, it helps to rev the body’s digestive system. Most hot sauces are also low in calories.

24. Eat foods rich in water content : Soups, salads and vegetables such as tomatoes, zucchini and cucumber may help reduce calorie consumption.

25. Don’t go overboard : Take losing weight seriously, but not too seriously. Remember to enjoy life and treat yourself on occasion.